I just went for training a month ago to be an instructor for the Family of the Americas. It is 98-99% effective. It works even if you have irregular cycles, are breastfeeding or even premenapausal. I have used NFP for 6 of our 14 years of marriage. The last two we planned on using NFP. You actually only have about 100hrs of combined fertility. FAF is alot like Creighton Model Method.
There were studies done in the 1950’s where the doctors took hormone levels and compared them with what women were observing.
Ovulation was able to be accuarately determined by what the woman observered. This bothered me during the class because this method has been around for that long and yet not to many people have much knowledge about it because the pill came out around the same time and was so much more convenient!!
Please look at the statistics of vasectomy. It causes many other problems including prostate cancer and arthritis – just to name a few.
If you have any questions, I would be sure to answer them- or find the answers for them. I would suggest that you find a NFP teacher in your area.
I also need to mention, if any of you ever get the chance to hear Mercedes Wilson speak. Go !! She is an awesome lady!!

I have taken birth control in the past to regulate my periods and I HATED how it made me feel!!!! My husband also wore condoms when we first got married, to which my body also reacted badly (stinging and burning)—We have started talking about NFP, but haven’t gone to any classes since our 10-month old takes up all of our time. The birth control (and lack thereof!) issue has really ruined our sex life. My poor husband is so patient with me, but I feel terrible about it!!! I had a complicated pregnancy with our son, filled with pre-term laor at 24 weeks, 15 solid weeks of strict bed rest—-our son was born happy and healthy at 39 weeks (a mircle–PRAISE GOD!!!), but he tore me BADLY on the way out and also broke my tailbone. Since our honeymoon I have also had recurring Urinary Tract Infections and hve been on many horrible antibiotics—doctors say sex causes UTIs, giving me one more reason to fear sex. I am worried that I am going to ruin an otherwise good marriage because of my fears of pregnancy (and sex, really). Does anyone see where I’m coming from? Anyone think NFP might help any of this? (Just a note: I LOVE being a mother and would have a million kids if it weren’t for the bad pregnancy. I still plan on having more kids, just don’t know how to get over my anxiety!!!!) Someone remind me that my thoughts are selfisha nd that its all up to God…………Jennifer

Jennifer,
I don’t think you are being selfish. It is okay to have uneasy feelings about getting pregnant again. The ovulation method that I just learned in 98-99% effective. You basically pay attention to naturally occurring signs of fertility. I’m working with someone that I may teach them over the phone and online.If you are interested, let me know.

I’m praying for you too! Gosh, this must be sooooooo hard for you! This is a HUGE issue when it comes to faith and practicing it. I promise God will reward your faithfulness – just stay strong in your conviction. I’m praying that your husband has the emotional support he needs and that you have the emotional support you need and that y’all (yes, I’m from south ) are on the same page.

The Couple to Couple League is awesome! My husband and I took classes through our diocese.

NFP works if you and your spouse both do it together and stick with it!
You can’t rely on breastfeeding to space your babies, every woman is different. BUT, NFP can help you figure out when your fertility has returned, so even though you might have not gotten your period, you’ll know when you’re ovulting.

Don’t give up on NFP. Take a class at a local parish. It is very rewarding. IT WORKS…but you have to DO IT, for it to work.

Most doctor’s say it doesn’t work. But that’s because they make money for selling pills and they don’t think that you will actually stick with NFP.

So, prove your doc wrong, and trust God.

NFP does not mean, have babies all the time, have 15 kids. It is just a way to space your babies and to avoid getting pregnant or to achieve pregnancy.

NFP doesn’t take a lot of time, it doesn’t mess up your body like all the artificial birth control methods. AND it will strengthen your relationship with your spouse. AND, it’s fully supported by the Catholic Church. Imagine that!?

“Good News about sex and marriage” by Christopher West is an AWESOME catholic book regarding intimace/NFP/ and letting God into your bedroom. You have to read it cover to cover to understand the depth of the Q&A sections but it really is the reason I decided to become Catholic. It made me really think about my faith and I can’t tell you how different I now feel about sex/reproduction/ and trusting God with ALL aspects of our lives. Anyway, that’s my advice!
Heather

I admire all you moms who are practicing NFP … as soon as we have a class here, my DH and I are going. Currently, I’m still nursing my 8 mo old, so I guess we are practicing ecological BF!

It’s funny … God does have the best timing, and knows what is best. My oldest daughter is almost 12, and I thought I was done. A few years ago, a man I was dating and contemplating marrying did NOT want children …. to the point of talking about getting a vasectomy. It hit me like a ton of bricks ….. we subsequently broke up. I think that was God’s way of showing me that this man was NOT for me, and helped push me in the right direction. I know my vocations well ….wife and mother!!

I’m a bit disappointed by the lack of NFP physicians in my area. Is this the case all over the country??

I would really love to connect with women who use NFP in their marriage; everyone I know uses some form of birth control and I feel I cannot relate to them. If anyone wishes to correspond, please email me. It would be wonderful to chat/write to someone who has similar beliefs as yourself.

CelticSpirit, I totally agree with you. When I gave birth to my baby girl, my OB immediately asked my husband and I whether we’d be using condoms, or what type of pill I plan on using; he said getting pregnant immediately after giving birth isn’t healthy and can lead to problems, etc. which might be true, but thanks for giving me the NFP choice, doc. …

At my postpartum checkup he once again asked me this, and I was kind of at a loss of words because I intend on using NO contraception. And yes, there are horrid side effects to the pill. Just from personal experience, one friend of mine gained 40lbs after going on the pill, and then additional 10lbs when she tried to get off it. A different friend got a huge lump on her chest (thought it was cancer at first), but after a checkup it was confirmed to be an effect of the pill and needed to be surgically removed. Who’d want to go thru that??

I wish doctors were more informative regarding NFP, yet seems like no one brings it up. I think a lot more people would use it, not Catholic only, if they only knew about it and understood it.

I wish doctors encouraged it! I mean, EVERY type of birth control pill has potential negative side effects, so why would a doctor, who is supposed to act as our medical guide in-charge of our well being, promote and encourage us to use something that might harm us?

I think OBs should refer us to NFP right off, because they’re medically trained and are responsible to know about Natural Family Planning, which I am sure they do. But never once has any doc even mentioned it to me. Why not?

Personally, before I became interested in the Catholic faith, I didn’t even know NFP existed, and when I mentioned NFP on a different forum (not exclusively Catholic), I got about a million replies, “NF-what??!!”, and “what’s that? please explain”; it’s as if in a 300 member forum not even one person could properly answer this question. Saddening.

Drs don’t know about NFP, or at least don’t know enough about it to tell a patient about it. That is why they don’t tell patients about it. Also what kind of money are they making when they are not prescribing anything. Sad.

Yes, Melinda, it’s very sad. I think my ob/gyn does know about NFP, because in his patient rooms there were posters on the wall comparing all types of contraception available. The very last one, on the bottom, was NFP.